That Way Again
by HepburnJunkie22
Summary: She cant understand what happened, it seemed to have snuck up on them...


_**This was just something that popped into my head after hearing "That Way Again" by Lee Brice, the song lyrics are his and the Characters are obviously TNT's...enjoy :)**_

* * *

She had woken up alone…again.

Honestly it wasn't the waking up alone that bothered her so much, it was the disappearing in the middle of the night without so much as a kiss goodbye. Although she figured that was just a sad memory of a time long ago, like a phase of life that had passed them by, softly fading into black. She stared blankly at the ceiling, recalling past events, trying to piece together a puzzle seemingly beyond her comprehension.

It hadn't always been like this, he hadn't always been this distant or preoccupied; at the beginning of their marriage he was overly affectionate, down right attentive even. But through the intervening years his attentions had seemed to have slipped away from the home, from her and their children. If she didn't know him the way she did Sharon would have been worried; most women whose husbands didn't come home at night assumed the worst…she knew better of course.

_He used to hold her hand; he used to hold her door,_

_But she don't know what that feels like anymore…_

It wasn't that Andy didn't love her, every fiber of her being knew he did unequivocally; she knew by the two children sleeping down the hall and the memories that had brought her to this point. He had just lost sight of himself…of the love that built their home and that they once seemed to cherish so much.

He was still affectionate, but to her it seemed hollow almost forced…as if he were just going through the motions of any other day. She would prompt him for kisses or intimate embraces, which he would either indulge in or site fatigue; he had appeared to have lost interest.

Sharon longed for the days when they would curl up on the window seat in the living room, watching as rain drops streamed down the window on a stormy evening. His sturdy arms wrapped around her slim waist, her back to his front and his nose buried in her hair. He would whisper lovable endearments into her neck; his warm breath tickling her pulse and sending shivers through her body. She would giggle quietly afraid of disturbing the children fast asleep in their sleeping bags nestled in front of the fireplace.

Or even when the kids were little and they would lie on the grass in the backyard, him on his stomach watching her as their children toddled by, her cautious eyes following them. She knew he was watching her, could feel the heat of his gaze, but she stoically ignored his attentions…well tried to at least.

_He used to love her like crazy; you couldn't pull them apart._

She felt the soft skin of his hand caress the bottom of her bare foot as he reached for her, the barely there touch causing her to pull away slightly. This only increased his persistence; next the hand trailed up the well-defined calf and settle on her inner thigh, stroking the sinfully soft skin. It was then that he finally gained her attention and waited while she turned her head, searching for the eye contact that seemed so vital to them. As his molten eyes locked onto her mossy green orbs he mouthed three little words.

'I love you.'

She remembered positively beaming, the muscles in her cheeks beginning to burn from the strain, his answering grin stretching from ear to ear. She leaned over, gently bringing her lips to rest softly on his, realizing it couldn't get much better than this.

_God, she felt so unbelievable in his arms._

Sharon rolled to her side, bleary eyes settling on the violently red numbers of her alarm clock, blinking back the moisture that started to gather behind her eyelids. She hid her face and tears in her pillow, hoping against everything her sobs were muffled enough.

She had coffee with a friend a few days ago, an outwardly innocent and platonic gathering, two friends just catching up. He asked about the kids and their endeavors, how they were doing in the new territory of college. He asked how she was doing…if she was all right, she seemed so tense. Words that she never thought before suddenly left her lips.

'I'm not sure.'

He went silent at that…in all reality what could he say? Nothing would comfort her or even begin to mend the raw hurt she felt in her chest, the void that had steadily appeared. He looked at her with such remorse and sympathy, seeing through her eyes and into her soul.

_That made her smile, like she hadn't smiled in years…_

_And in just a second that smile turned into tears._

'Can I see you again?'

Sharon's body tensed at the sincere need that shown from his eyes, as well as the insinuation buried in his voice. She looked hard at the man before her, not fully considering his offer but not dismissing it entirely either.

She looked nervously down at her lap, trying desperately trying to calm her nerves. When her left hand rose from under the table to gently grasp the handle of her coffee cup, something caught her eye.

The simple gold band that had adorned her third finger for as long as she could remember shimmered in the overhead lights of the café. She closed her eyes imagining the inscription that lay on the inside of the band; something that Andy had picked out himself.

Two souls, forever entwined.

She didn't even excuse herself as she pushed her chair back roughly from the table. The brunette snatched her purse from the floor, covering her mouth to hold in the sobs, as a frantic voice from inside the coffee house barely reached her ears. Needless to say she hadn't talked to him since.

She startled as the door to their bedroom open and shut quietly, the soft plod of his bare feet on the carpet loud in the desolate room; he was obviously trying not to wake her. She waited until he had removed his pants and emptied his pockets onto his nightstand before she rolled over to face him. He didn't notice at first, but at the quiet sound of Sharon clearing her throat, he looked up quickly.

They stared at each other for what seemed like hours, but was actually only minutes, waiting for the other to begin.

Andy spoke first, whispering quietly, "Hi babe."

"Hello yourself," she whispered back, studying him intently.

His frame was taught and his face seemed tense, his eyes revealing just how overly tired he was, his shoulders slumped slightly.

She asked hesitantly, "Where have you been?"

He shook his head dejectedly as he sat down on his side of the bed, pulling back the covers slightly.

"The chief called me about two hours ago," he explained softly, "she finally got the blood work back on our rape suspect."

Sharon snorted inelegantly, "And that couldn't have waited until morning?"

Andy sighed, "She needed me in the interview room with her Red, what was I supposed to say?"

She shook her head dismissively as she rolled back over, "Never mind."

The man sighed once again, but this time is seemed to be one born of exhaustion as well as frustration. Sharon reflexively pulled the covers up over her shoulders and under her chin, essentially creating a barrier between her self and her husband.

She sensed the bed dip slightly as Andy lowered himself under the blankets, scooting across the mattress towards his wife. She felt his hand caress her back through the thin material of her sleep shirt, the heat scalding her skin.

As Andy was about to encircle the woman's waist with his arm and pull her close, Sharon turned to come face to face with him, her hand placed gently over his heart. He could see the need in her eyes, the desire for her to be close to him…a look that said she wanted to crawl inside his skin.

"I need you," she pleaded.

He could feel his wife's smooth skin touch his own as she entangled her legs with his, bringing both of their bodies together. They were chest-to-chest, belly-to-belly, and thigh-to-thigh, her softness melting against the hard planes of his body. He could feel her moist breath upon his neck coming in gasps, her hear racing underneath her ribcage. The contact was so heady that he almost missed the quiet words that she appeared to murmur into his neck.

"Say it again babe."

Andy could feel the tremble in Sharon's voice as she spoke.

"What happened to us?"

To say that he was shocked by her question was an understatement…he didn't understand.

"I…I'm not sure…" he stuttered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

He could feel the dampness on his chest as his wife began to cry in earnest, the shuddering of her delicate frame evidence of the sobs. Then she looked up towards his face, her cheeks awash with tears, eyes glistening in the dim light of the room. Sharon's lip trembled as Andy stared at her, completely caught off guard and speechless.

"When was the last time we talked?" she asked brokenly.

His eyes flitted back and forth from her mouth to her eyes, looking for something.

"Laid together in the grass?

Andy's eyes widened a little; she could see the realization forming behind those pools of warmth she loved so much.

"I want my husband back," she sobbed, "I want 'us' back."

Her husband tightened his arms around her as he pulled her closer into his embrace, whispering soothing words against her temple. His hands ran up and down Sharon's back, he could feel the heat and shudders that seemed to radiate from her body.

She wriggled farther up Andy's chest, nuzzling into the space between his neck and shoulder, her damp cheek pressed to the underside of his jaw.

"I need you to be that way again," she mumbled defeated.

She felt her husband gently cradle the back of her head as he eased her away from his person, wanting to see her face…needing to see her face.

"I'm sorry Sharon," he whispered brokenly, "So sorry."

With that his wife tossed her arms around his neck, crushing him to her, not willing to let go it seemed. He could hear the tears in her voice as she sighed softly with relief, placing subtle kisses to his shoulder.

_Now she's catching herself looking down at her ring every now and then…_

_She don't want to leave, she just needs him to be that way again._


End file.
